‘The unsung hero’: How a DeSoto County cold case was kept alive
Amber Edlin, a crime scene technician with the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office holds the case history binder for Lorie Ann Mealer Pennell. She was known as “Jane Doe” for 40 years until Edlin solved the mystery. (Rob Moore/The Daily Memphian)
For decades, a modest gravestone in Olive Branch’s Blocker Cemetery bore the simple moniker of “Jane Doe.”
The marker noted she was “found” on Jan. 24, 1985, but the identity of the young woman discovered by a UPS driver along U.S. 78 — the apparent victim of a homicide — seemed lost to time.
Following a break in the case earlier this year, the non-descript “Jane Doe” memorial was replaced with one bearing her name — “Lorie Ann Mealer Pennell.”
The discovery of Pennell’s identity brought a long-dormant cold case back to life. But the story of the DeSoto County Jane Doe — of Lorie Ann Mealer Pennell —still asks plenty of questions.
For decades, the “Jane Doe” file would pass through the hands of a revolving line of investigators, some changing jobs; others retiring without ever solving the mystery.
Topics
DeSoto County Jane Doe Lorie Ann Mealer Pennell DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office Amber Edlin Subscriber Only2025 is almost over. Now is the time to support your trusted local news source.
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Rob Moore
Rob Moore covers North Mississippi for The Daily Memphian. He holds a B.A. and an M.A. in English from The University of Memphis.
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